Chemometric‐Driven Spectral Fingerprinting for Non‐Destructive Quality Assessment of Mangoes

A compact open‐source spectrophotometer (410–940 nm) was developed for the non‐destructive monitoring of post‐harvest ripening in mangoes. The system was validated against a commercial colorimeter, confirming high measurement accuracy. A 10‐day ambient storage study was conducted to evaluate weight loss, total soluble solids (TSS), pH, titratable acidity (TA), ascorbic acid, and colour parameters (a* and b*). Ripening progression was characterized by increases in weight loss, TSS, and pH, accompanied by declines in TA, ascorbic acid, and difference of absorbance (DA). Spearman correlation analysis revealed strong wavelength‐specific associations between spectral reflectance and physicochemical attributes—pH (585–730 nm, ρ ≤ 0.83), TSS (610–680 nm, ρ ≈ 0.8), and DA index (negative with 585–680 nm; positive with 730 nm). Multiple linear regression models achieved high predictive accuracy for DA ( R 2 = 0.928) and a* ( R 2 = 0.926). Key wavelengths within 585–760 nm effectively discriminated ripening stages, demonstrating the potential of this low‐cost portable spectrophotometer for applied post‐harvest spectroscopy and real‐time fruit quality assessment.